


Mystical

by Trekiael



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-01-19 09:00:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1463446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trekiael/pseuds/Trekiael
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Sam Winchesters are hunters in a world where mystical creatures are common things. One day, they get the request to find a nekomata, and travel to Japan to find it. What they end up with is a lot more than what they bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mystical

**Author's Note:**

> This story will be constructed somewhat like a season of SPN. Slow built romance, adventure, cases, background scenario and all that shit. There will be some horror and angst depending of the cases and plot, but mostly I write humor. And smut, you can expect smut along the way.

Twin blue eyes snapped open upon hearing an unfamiliar, unwelcome noise accompanying a fur-rising tingle of power. Sharp claws stretched from overly large paws into the bark of the tree as the creature stood, pointy ears alert.

 

There was a disturbance in the forest, and it did not suit it.

 

The forest was earily calm, birds and squirels silent, rabbits hidden and for once more scared of the great power cloating the canapy in invisible mist than of the smart foxes snuffling on the ground. The power was wrong. Not evil, the creature knew evil and that wasn't it, but sick, infected.

 

Apparently some great Yôkai had fallen victim of an illness, and as a guardian, it was the creature's job to take measures. With an annoyed huff, it jumped to the next tree, then smoothly slithered down of the soft, earthy ground. It had a lot to do.

 

**Mystical**

 

\--- _ONE WEEK EARLIER_ \---

 

Dean's hands were sticky and he was developping a serious crick in his neck when his phone abruptly rang. He cursed as he tried to wriggle out of the cage as quickly as possible to reach inside his pants pocket for the device, spreading the disgusting goo all over his jeans and phone in the process. And banging his head against the cage.

 

“Son of a bitch!”

 

Finally, he mananged to answer. While he grumbled his greeting, he massaged his head and put more goo in his hair, wincing as he realized. Yeah, definitely was gonna take a shower afterwards. Vindicatively, he kicked the old but sturdy cage and turned away from it. He left to grab a beer while listening to the gritty voice on the other side of the line.

 

**

 

“What the hell is a nekomata anyway?”

 

Dean drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while Sam sat beside him, clicking away on his keyboard, his long legs holding his laptop and barely fitting in the Impala.

 

The phone call had been a request, of course, since they were hunters. But it was the kind they didn't get often. Generally, when the Winchester brothers were called for a case, it was to eradicate vermine. Not always by restoring to killing, but fact was, they were known for tackling down the strongest, nastiest motherfucking magical creatures out there, never turning down a case, no matter the danger.

 

This time, though they had been asked to find one, capture it, and deliver it for personal keeping. There were hunters more specialized in that kind of things, and Dean had tried to redirect the old lady towards Jo, but she had insisted. And the pay wasn't bad, so why the hell not?

 

Now they just needed to figure out what the fuck it was, cause Dean sure as hell never heard of it.

 

“It's a japanese mystic creature. Looks like a cat, only bigger, much bigger. More like a lynx, really. Two tails. But it's only rumors, since no one ever caught one...”

 

Dean groaned, twice. Japanese meant going to Japan. Now Japan was a nice country and all, but Dean's japanese was shit and uncooked fish was not really his thing. And if no one ever caught one, they'd have to give blind chase, and that was fucking frustrating. A great waste of time too. Not to mention the fact that Dean was allergic to cats. Well, at least they'd be able to use that as cue he supposed.

 

“Is there anything that can help us? A pattern or something? Where and when? Or, I dunno, if only some type of people can see them or some shit?”

 

Sam hummed and for the next few minutes, clicked away. It was obvious they'd need to do some serious research beforehand, cross referencing and stuff. This was more Sam's domain. He knew his way around internet and could pick out relevant details. He also had so much knowledge, not only about mystical creatures but every kind of random shit, that Dean still managed to be baffled on more than one occasion. Dean himself was more of a field guy, observant and ingenious. And he also created the weapons. All in all they balanced each other well. And when it came to the fighting itself, they were evenly matched and perfectly in sync. It wasn't for nothing that they were considered some of the best hunters out there.

 

**

 

As he slowly chewed on his burger, Dean's eyes drifted to the barely covered ass of the waitress pouring coffee at a table a little farther away from theirs. It had been a while since he got laid, and with this new case, he might not have much time for it. Or maybe he would have too much time. Japanese girls were cute, at least, and very tight. He didn't notice the leecherous grin on his face until he heard Sam clear his throat.

 

He blinked innocently at him, only to see the infamous bitch face on his brother's face. He shrugged with a nonchalant grin. He got caught thinking perverted stuff again, but there was nothing new there. Sam sighed and leant back.

 

“So. Turned out there's this guy. …Yoshihiro Yamashita. Anyway, he's some kind of researcher on Japanese mystical creatures-”

 

Sam raised his eyes from the screen to look at Dean with eyebrows almost reaching his hairline, and considering the size of that forehead, it was very telling.

 

“-And just so you know, they have A LOT. More than anywhere else. Generally harmless, so not really our branch, but wow, Jo could definitely make a living over there.”

 

Dean nodded, popping some fries in his mouth.

 

“Yeah, yôkai, I know.”

 

At Sam's bemused expression, Dean's own turned blank.

 

“I may not have you gigantic brain, Sasquatch, but I know my job.”

 

Sam chuckled and waved a hand.

 

“I know, I know. But I thought that anything that wasn't meant to be killed didn't interest you.”

 

Sam had a point. Dean wasn't ashamed to say that a hunt that didn't result in him getting rid of some nasty monster (but not always by killing them, geez, he wasn't a psychopath), didn't really catch his attention.

 

He shrugged.

 

“Last time we were in Japan, I had a bit of a chat with a priestess...”

 

Sam didn't look impressed, obviously drawing the right conclusion, his brow furrowing deeper when Dean grinned.

 

“Aaanyway. That guy is in LA right now, apparently he's been hired to give adives for a movie, autenticity or something. I thought maybe before jumping to Japan, we could have a chat with him.”

 

Dean nodded. Sounded reasonable.

 

“Right then. We'll go to dear old LA first thing tomorrow morning. But for now...”

 

He grinned, winked, and stood up. The waitress had been staring at him steadily for the last 10 minutes, and there was no way he was gonna miss that chance.

 

**

 

The sun was harsh in LA and Dean was cranky, impatiently tugging on his tie. He had been about to go to the meeting in his usual outfit, but Sam had insisted for suits, as they were supposed to pose as college students writing an essay on Japanese lore. So Dean found himself stuck under the blazing sun, sweating his ass off (and that wasn't just a saying. He really could feel sweat collecting at the top of his ass and rolling down his crack and that made him want to tear all his clothes off).

 

Since the man was busy, they had agreed to meet directly on the set, in his trailer, with a special derogation. They arrived early, again, upon Sam's insistance, in case they got lost. Which, granted, could happen easily because that place was huge. Except that the security was heavy, and no way they would have been able to go anywhere they weren't supposed to. It was a change from their usual lives, and more than ever, Dean felt like a fake, like he didn't belong. Not that he let it bother him. It was part of the fun after all, and he seriously didn't give a crap. He always made a point to live by his own rules, which gave him a sense of freedom anywhere he went.

 

Right now, they were walking close to a building hosting a set for one TV show or another, trying to stay in the shadow. As they rounded a corner, a PA with an earset and a notepad almost crashed into them and blinked up at them. She looked at Sam, then and Dean, and finally smiled.

 

“You boys are here for the casting, right? Dunno how good you are at acting, but with these looks, I'm sure you have a shot.”

 

Sam opened his mouth to object, of course, but Dean was curious and offered his most charming grin.

 

“Casting for what?”

 

The PA looked confused and snorted.

 

“Supernatural, of course. What else?”

 

Dean shrugged and glanced at Sam, who smiled politely.

 

“Actually, we're here to meet with Professor Yamashita?”

 

The PA looked somewhat crestfallen at that and after a bit of explanation, indicated his trailer, going on her way after that. Dean and Sam looked after her, then made their way to the trailer.

 

“Supernatural, huh? Wonder what this is about...”

 

Sam shrugged one shoulder as he wiped his forehead with a paper tissue.

 

“Well, if it's the show Professor Yamashita is working with, probably something to do with mystical creatures.”

 

Dean smirked.

 

“Well, damn, I would have made a mean werewolf.”

 

Sam's brow creased a little, even as he smiled.

 

“Dean. You hate werewolves.”

 

Dean sent him a sharp look.

 

“Because they're dicks and think they're superior creatures and shit. Doesn't mean it wouldn't be cool to play one.”

 

“Well, as long as you don't plan to become one...”

 

Dean snorted.

 

“Thank you but no. Fleas? Mating season? Having to fight for Alpha status? Living in a pack? Like hell.”

 

Sam chuckled and raised his hand to knock on the door of the trailer. A few moment later, it was opened to reveal a rather short man, clearly Japanese, in a suit minus the jacket. He was middle-aged, possibly older as giving an age to Japanese people was pretty much impossible.

 

“Yamashita-sensei? I'm Sam, and this is Dean. I contacted you yesterday?”

 

“Hai, hai. I wait for you. Please come.”

 

His accent was thick, but at least he spoke english. Hopefully well enough for them to understand valuable pieces of information. They followed him in and he closed the door behind them, shuffling to the kitchen afterwards.

 

“You want tea?”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

The man smiled and indicated the couch with a small bow and a movment of his hand, and they sat down while he prepared the tea. Which was fairly quick, obviously he had started the preparations before they arrived. Once they were all settled around the table, Sam leant forward a little and opened his mouth to start.

 

“Yamashita-sensei,”

 

Dean held back a snort. Show-off.

 

“we have been doing research on Japanese lore, but there's some facts about certain creatures that we have been missing, and we were hoping you could enlighten us.”

 

The professor nodded all along, showing that he was listening, then paused, probably needing a time to process what Sam was saying. Then he smiled.

 

“Hai. Yes. Please, speak.”

 

“Well, there's one creature in particular that caught our attention. And it's quite difficult to find any information on it. Do you know anything about the Nekomata?”

 

The professor smiled and leant back in his seat.

 

“Saaaaa. Nekomata da ne? Very rare creature. Not many people see it. Very old. Very pretty. Very big. I see one, one time.”

 

Sam smiled and Dean leant forward as well.

 

“What can you tell us about them?”

 

The professor tilted his head a little to the side.

 

“Hmm. They japanese name, but not Japanese. More in Japan because more sacred places, ne? Forest, rivers, yada,yada. They very smart. If they not want you to see them, you not see them. They... nandeska? Imorutaru? They never die.”

 

Dean sighed and leant back in the couch. Yeah, great. The immortal bit was interesting, sure, but that didn't give them any clue as to how catch a creature that was fucking invisible unless they want you to see it. Not that invisible meant not there, Dean knew that, but coupled with smart? Erf.

 

“And is there, hum, anything that might encourage them to show up?”

 

The professor looked a little constricted, then sighed.

 

“This is only theory. Demo, I think Nekomata see tamashii... Souls, da ne? If soul is good, nekomata want try tasting.”

 

“Tasting, like eating? Nekomata eat souls?”

 

The professor shook his head a little.

 

"Chigau. They not 'eat', they 'taste'. Nekomata are cats. Cats are curious.”

 

There was a fond twinkle in the man's eyes, and Sam and Dean guessed that his own experience had been pleasant. It made Dean and Sam smile in return, with a nod. So nekomata were magical cats with a taste for souls. Not the nastiest thing out there, for sure, if a little weird. Problem was, there was no guarantee Sam or Dean's souls would be to the liking of any nekomata.

 

“Thank you sensei, that was very helpful. Is there anything else?”

 

The professor started to shake his head sadly, but then paused, expression clearing.

 

“Ha! Yes! I not see it, but I hear Nekomata like the sound of bells.”

 

**

 

Dean sighed as he tossed his tie, immediately followed by his shirt, on the bed. They were royally screwed. They needed to catch a cat that only liked souls and bells (maybe) and was almost impossible to see, let alone catch. Yeah, no wonder the commanditor was ready to pay such an absurd amount of money for it. Honestly, Dean liked a challenge, but this one he really had doubts about.

 

“Alright, so I've identified some sacred forests where Nekomata have been sighted before. And I've booked a room in a ryokan. It's more expensive than a motel, but it's the closet thing we've got. There's too many yôkai in sacred forests to sleep outside.”

 

Dean sighed again as he popped the button of his pants open.

 

“Yeah? And found any way to make our souls look pretty? Cause I dunno about yours, but I don't think mine's food material...”

 

Sam grimaced a little.

 

“No. There's not really any spell that can affect the soul itself. Souls are basically sources of energy, more powerful than anything. Any spell would bounce right off, or be swallowed and digested.”

 

He shrugged.

 

“I was thinking that we might be able to hire some local kid if we can't find any by ourselves. Kids have purest souls.”

 

Dean sighed again and nodded. Might as well. It wasn't as if they had any better plan, and he'd be damned if he gave up before even trying.

 

“Well, now we just need to find some bells, I guess...”

 

Sam chuckled at that, obviously not as worried about the ridicule of walking around in bells as Dean. Dean ignored him and left to take a quick shower. He felt disgusting and he couldn't wait to leave stupid California and its stupid sun. He exited a few minutes later, well refreshed and in way more comfortable clothes. Sam took his place in the shower while Dean set down to prepare everything they would need for travelling. Thanks fuck for travelling spells. If he had to take a plane to Japan, or anywhere else, he would have to flat out refuse.

 

The only problem with travelling spells was the price. Because the materials came from different, rare creatures, one spell cost as much as filling his tank to cross the country. Thrice. But at least in their line of work, they were able to get a great deal of these ingredients themselves.

 

Not long after, they had everything packed and stuffed in the trunk, and Dean was drawing the large circle full of sigils on the parking lot while Sam finger painted the hood of his car. The first time they had done that, Dean had been so worried for his Baby that he had almost backed off four of five times. But since planes were out of the question, and there was no way he wanted to miss the great Korrigan hunt in Brittany, he had finally conceeded. Turned out, Baby hadn't minded the trip.

 

“You ready, Dean?”

 

“Yeah, alright, I'm done.”

 

Together, they went inside the Impala, Sam cleaning his hands then wiping the spell bowl before sitting inside. Then Dean started the engine and slowly drove to the middle of the circle as Sam recited the spell (he knew it by heart by then). The back wheels rolled in the circle just as Sam finished the spell with the coordinates, and in a flash of light, they were gone.

 

**

 

“A freaking lake, Sam!”

 

“A pond.”

 

“I don't give a crap, Sam! 3 feet! 3 fucking feet and we'd have ended up right in the middle of it!”

 

“Yeah, we didn't, so stop screaming.”

 

Dean's glare was strong enough to set Sam's hair on fire. Or almost. Sam looked like Dean was overreacting, but there was no mistaking the slight guilt in his eyes. Yeah, he had almost royally screwed up. His coordinates were good, close to the inn, but not straight in the forest (appareating in a forest? Yeah, right.). Except that it had been a very, very close call to end up in a lake. Or pond. Whatever. Point was, Baby would have not appreciate the trip, and Dean would have had no choice but to drown his dear baby brother along with his car.

 

“Alright, alright, gee. I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time.

 

“Yeah, you better.”

 

Sam rolled his eyes and pointed at a crossroad.

 

“Turn right. We're almost there.”

 

Dean nodded briskly and turned right. The inn appeared in front of them, at the end of the road. It looked ancient, traditional, but well-kept. Dean relaxed a little. Now that was the side of Japan he enjoyed. Warm, cosy traditional houses. Preferably with boiling hot baths where he could stretch completely and relax. Sam had told him that this one even had a real, natural onsen outside. This was such a win. If that case turned out to be a fluke, at least they'd have a nice vacation.

 

There was only another car in the parking lot, which could be good news, as it'd mean a quieter place, or bad news, at it'd mean a shitty one. Dean wasn't particularly worried, though, as they had slept in all kind of shitty motels before.

 

They entered the lobby only to discover that, true to japanese tradition, it was a something-kan, where you took your shoes off before actually stepping inside, and every floor was covered in tatami. Dean instantly liked it. An old lady strutted towards them, loudly greeting them in japanese, and from then on, Dean let Sam handle the discussion. His japanese was much better than Dean's, though nothing to write poetry about. Or haiku.

 

A few minutes later they were led to a fairly big room, rather close to the entrance. There were two rolled up futon in a corner, a small wooden table, a dresser, and another door in front leading to an inner garden, he guessed. Dean dropped his duffle bag on the dresser and stalked to the other door as Sam finished discussing with the old lady, who left shortly after with a bow. Clean, moist air of montain forest greeted him and he grinned.

 

“Hey Sammy. Look, we've got our own onsen.”

 

He glanced over his shoulder at Sam who was settling his laptop on the table, and waited for him to join him.

 

“Nice. A little too hot for onsen, though.”

 

Dean shrugged. Sam had a point. Summer in Japan was fucking stiffling. Not as much there than in the cities, but still. But that wasn't going to deter him. He was going to try that onsen, heat or no heat. Preferably with some fresh japanese beer, which he happened to like.

 

“Alright. Let's rest for tonight, decide where we're gonna start, and we'll give it a shot tomorrow.”

 

Dean nodded in agreement, still looking at the onsen.

 

**

 

“Son of a bitch!”

 

Dean jumped and rolled to the side as yet another tree crashed beside him. He didn't bother looking back as he scrambled to his feet and jumped behind a bush, joined shortly after by Sam, who looked just as bad as Dean, covered in mud and twigs and grass stains.

 

“Yôkai are nice my ass! That guy's a fucking psycho!”

 

Sam frowned and glanced over the bush.

 

“I think there's something wrong. Look!”

 

And Dean looked. The huge, scary but bleak yôkai was still nonchalently creating a disaster in the forest, but now a few other yôkai were there as well, and apparently trying to stop it. As fascinating as it was, Dean and Sam had almost been crushed one too many times, and Dean was pretty sure a couple of his ribs were cracked from when the yôkai had thrown him against a tree. Plus, whatever was going on there, it was none of their business. Obviously they were the only human in the vicinity, and they were not there to meddle with yôkai affairs.

 

They went back to the inn, utterly exhausted and dirty and more than a little annoyed. Almost one week walking in that stupid forest with little bells attached to their clothes, trying to attract one of these evasive kitty for nothing, and suddenly, they were caught in the middle of a fucking war or something. They sure as hell hadn't signed for this.

 

As they soaked in the onsen, the warm water helping for their sore muscles, they decided that if nothing came up the next day, they would resort to their hidden card and try to find a local child to help them. They'd have to make sure that he wouldn't get in danger first, though. And to polish their japanese so as to not pass for freaking child molesters or something.

 

**

 

The forest was eerily quiet the next day. Like a no man's land after a great, devastating battle. The air was charged, heavy and moist, and they wouldn't have been surprised if a storm was coming. That kind of atmosphere made breathing a little tricky, especially since they were fairly high up in the mountains, and it pulled on Dean's bruised ribs, making him particularly cranky. So was Sam, but that was because the air made his luscidious hair frizzle.

 

They reached the spot of the battle of the previous day and paused, taking in the damage. Dean whistled, low. In the space where the huge yôkai had been standing last time they had seen it was now a large clearing, completely bare if for some broken pieces of wood. Clearly there hadn't only been physical battle there, but also a magical one. Now Dean felt like an idiot for having ran away. He knew it had been the smart thing to do, who knew how the mix of yôkai magic would have affected them, but damn if he wouldn't have liked to see that.

 

A little put out now, he walked around, looking for anything interesting without searching for anything in particular. He crossed the clearing while Sam took some pictures on his phone and re-entered the forest on the opposite side, where some more damage had taken place. There was a large derooted tree there, and something made Dean step closer, an inner pull that was too dim for him to pay any particular attention, but that made perfect sense when he stopped beside the base of the tree and blinked down at the fairly big shape there.

 

Laying on its flank, curled into a ball, was a big, black, winged cat.

 

It was so unexpected that for a moment Dean had troubles realizing what he was saying. Finally, he opened his mouth, not daring to move a muscle, his wide eyes fixed on the creature, and called as loudly as he dared.

 

“Saaaam...?”

 

Something in his voice must have given away his bewilderment as Sam didn't bother answering and quickly joined him. He stopped by his side and looked down as well, lips parting at the twitching cat.

 

“Is that...?”

 

Dean swallowed and slowly, carefully crouched down. Tentatively, he reached forward with his hand until his fingers came into contact with one of the wing. It twitched under his fingertips and he paused, before gently running them down smooth feathers. He still couldn't believe it.

 

Slowly, the wing lowered until a felin face was exposed, big blue eyes staring drozily up at him. There was an odd white spot on the side of the cat's mouth. He was the cutest freaking thing Dean had ever seen and he couldn't help the grin that split his face.

 

“Hey there little guy. You injured?”

 

For all answer, the cat slowly, painstakingly rose to its huge, huge paws and shuffled the short distance that separated them. It went between Dean's legs and twisted until it was facing his left thigh. Then, not bothering to hide its claws, crawled up his thigh until its entire upper body rested across it, front paws dangling and head resting on top of it, and wings dropping low on either side. It huffed, softly, and passed out.

 

All during it, Dean hadn't dared to move, and now he only turned his head to look up at Sam who was grinning at him.

 

“Well, seems like your soul is good enough for it.”

 

Dean blinked, still not exactly processing what the hell was happening, and looked back down at the sleeping nekomata. It really was much bigger than a regular cat, Sam had ben right when saying it was more like a lynx' size, though still slightly smaller. Its tails were long like a panther's one, though, and it was fully black like one as well.

 

Not that he really cared about cats, because he was allergic as fuck. Alright, that was a lie, he found cats hilarious and cute and if it wasn't for his stupid allergies (and his job) he would have adopted some kittens a long time ago, but no one really needed to know that.

 

Talking about allergies... He twiched his nose and squinted his eyes, fully prepared for the violent assault. Except it never came. Maybe the fact that they were outside and in the forest tempered it, but his allergies were seriously some crazy shit and forest or not, he should have been crying his eyes out by now. But he wasn't. And that was just the awesomest shit ever.

 

He grinned wide, and finally decided to do something about the sleeping, clearly exhausted cat on his lap. Gently, as to not startle it, he brought one arm under its belly and another under its butt, and slowly stood up. He paused, holding his breath, once he was up with the nekomata in his arms, and waited for its reaction. Safe for a light twitch of wings, there was none. Dean and Sam looked at each other and chuckled softly, before making their way back to the inn.

 

Dean was a bit out of breath when they reached their room, which was strange, as the nekomata really wasn't that heavy despite its size, but he attributed it to the nasty weather and the mountain air. Gently, he lowered the winged cat on his own futon, since Sam had dutifully rolled his back. It barely stirred and Dean was getting worried. Sam joined him, kneeling on the tatami beside him.

 

“We should check for injuries.”

 

Dean nodded, and, as carefully as possible, inspected every limb, stretching wings and paws and checking every inch of skin. The creature didn't protest, didn't even open its eyes, merely flicked its two tails impatiently. Satisfied that nothing was slash or broken, Dean sat back on its haunches and simply looked at the curled cat breathing softly beside him. Without thinking, he reached with one hand for its head, lightly trailing his fingers in the soft, soft fur.

 

The cat started purring.

 

It was unexpected, and like a kid receiving the best christmas gift ever, Dean grinned wide, his fingers curling to scratch behind its ears. Ears that were, like a lynx' ones, ardorned with crazy long strand of fur standing straight up from the tips. The cat, clearly not shying away from his touch, leant into it, front paws flexing in the mattress.

 

“Holy shit he's cute.”

 

Sam chuckled and gently touched a feather, not daring to touch too much since the cat had obviously chosen Dean.

 

“Not sure it's a 'he', but yes, it is. But you can't keep it.”

 

Dean said nothing.

 

“Dean. You can't.”

 

Dean sighed, annoyed.

 

“Yeah, I know, I know, geez.”

 

Carefully, he lowered himself on the futon beside the nekomata, resting his head on his elbow and looking at the creature while still gently trailing his fingers in its fluffy, thick, slightly disheveled fur. It was unbelievaly soft. He yawned.

 

The cat blinked its eyes open and looked at Dean for a while. Fuck, those were some seriously blue eyes, and one hell of a penetrating stare. He wondered for the first time how much intelligence was hidden behind these blue pools. Nekomata were supposed to be smart, but to which extent, he had no clue.

 

After a moment of silent staring, the cat purred louder and crawled closer, until its head was tucked under Dean's chin and its wing resting on top of Dean's waist, the other folded neatly behind its back. Its tails also curled around Dean's thigh. Dean's heart soared. But he didn't get to appreciate it fully, because next thing he knew, he was dead asleep.

 

**

 

Dean's eyes blinked open to big blue eyes inches from his own, attached to the most gorgeous male face he had ever seen, itself attached to a very naked, slim and toned body. Oh, so it was one of the dreams. He didn't have one for a while. Generally, they were fairly easy to ignore. They would leave him achingly hard, but he had always been able to brush off that part of his subconscious that apparently didn't mind naked male bodies.

 

This time, though, the naked body was secondary. Because that face? Damn. It was absolutely criminal. The man was thirty-ish, with large, deep blue eyes. A strong jaw covered by a hint of a peachy soft looking stubble. A straight nose. And those lips... Fuck. Full, perfectly symetrical, pink, slightly chafed but not in a way that was a turn down, and stretch over a mouth Dean was ready to bet was big. He wanted that mouth, and those fucking lips, stretched around his cock.

 

He swallowed and let his eyes drifted higher, to the guy's messy dark hair, that looked incredibly soft to the touch. Just like those twitching ears. Wait. Twitching ears...? His eyes slowly, oh so slowly drifted from the top of the guy's head to his shoulder, and behind it, where a large, black wing was shuffling. And then his eyes moved to the space between them, swallowing thickly as his gaze caressed over a lean torso, a small waist, to finally rest of a respectable cock framed by two black tails curled around hipbones and strong thighs.

 

“...Nekomata are skinwalkers?”

 

“Nekomata are nekomata before taking human shape.”

 

Holy fuck. That voice! Dean's eyes snapped back to the softly smiling face of the cat-turned-human currently straddling him and fixing him with his impossibly blue eyes.

 

“Hello, Dean.”

 

Dean opened his mouth, but no sound came off. Holy crap. The nekomata that had miraculously fallen into his arms earlier actually had human shape which happened to be the shape of the most goregeous guy Dean had ever seen. He couldn't believe it.

 

“So, what is your name?”

 

Sam's voice brought Dean back to reality, and his head snapped to the side, to look at Sam who was currently frozen with his fingers on his keyboard, looking at the nekomata was his nerd eyes. Said nekomata straightened up, no longer resting on all four over Dean and nonchalently sitting down on top of him, right over his crotch. Dean stiffled a gasp and tensed. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He was freaking naked for fuck's sake!

 

“Castiel. Nice to meet you, Sam.”

 

While Dean was trying to keep his hormones in check, Sam grinned at the very naked guy casually sitting on Dean's crotch like it was perfectly natural.

 

“You know what that mean, Dean? Dean?”

 

Dean's head snapped back to the side and he blinked at Sam, trying to go back to the conversation.

 

“Huh?”

 

Sam sighed.

 

“Kirke's rule.”

 

Something clicked in Dean's brain. Oh, right.

 

“Oh yeah. Well, shit.”

 

“Kirke's rule?”

 

Dean looked back at Castiel, who was looking at him with his head tilted to the side in confusion, brow slightly furrowed. Fuck he was cute.

 

“Y-yeah. Creatures that have a human shape and intelligence cannot, under any condition, be traded, exchanged, or sold. It's kind of a loose law, since what constitutes a 'human shape' is arguable, same for intelligence, and it's always possible to trick, coax, threaten, blackmail and whatnot, but it's one of the few hunter rule.”

 

Castiel observed Dean for a moment, then Sam, then Dean again. Finally, he sighed and, to Dean's relief, stood up and walked a bit farther away, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“So I take it you are both hunters, and you were planning in selling me?”

 

Dean sat up as well, rubbing his face. Damn, he was fucking exhausted.

 

“We're hunters, yeah. And we've been hired to find a nekomata. But obviously the deal's off now.”

 

He was not happy about it. What a fucking waste of time and money. He knew that case was gonna be a fluke. Castiel narrowed his eyes.

 

“Not that it would have been possible anyway.”

 

Dean and Sam looked at each other, then back at the nekomata (trying to look only at his face and damn these legs were long. Dude was probably almost as tall as Dean himself).

 

“What do you mean?”

 

One of Castiel's tail curled around his waist while the other flicked impatiently. Dean had the feeling that under the calm and cool exterior, he was rather short tempered.

 

“Nekomata cannot be captured. We are invisible to the human eyes unless we choose otherwise. But more than that, now that I'm bounded to Dean, we cannot be separated.”

 

“Wait, what?”

 

A flicker of guilt crossed over Castiel's face, only to be replaced by stubborn, proud set of his jaw.

 

“I have reached for your soul, and you have granted be access. I was severly exhausted after yesterday's fight, and I apologize for tasting more of your soul than I would have otherwise, but rest assured that, as we are now bounded, as I steadily regain my energy, everything will flow back into you in a day or two.”

 

Well, that explained Dean's exhaustion at least. But it certainly didn't make the situation easier to digest.

 

“So you were tired and leeched on the first soul that was available to you and now you're my pet?”

 

Castiel's eyes narrowed further.

 

“I prefer the term 'familiar'. Do not misunderstand, nekomata chose their own master, and there is nothing mandatory about that. I chose you, Dean, the moment you stepped into that forest. Sadly, I had more pressing matters to take care of, as you were able to witness by yourself, and was only able to use the last of my powers to call you to me.”

 

Sam snickered as Dean's mouth snapped shut. Damn. Castiel sure had a mouth on him.

 

“I don't get it. I thought you guys like pretty souls. There's nothing really great about mine. Far from pure, that's for sure.”

 

At this, Castiel looked confused.

 

“Dean... You have no idea what your soul looks like, do you?”

 

Dean had no answer to that. Obviously he had never seen it, no. Castiel sighed, free tail flicking again.

 

“Your soul is bright. Full of strength, courage and love. You are a formidable human being, one that we don't have to opportunity to meet often, and you have the potential to play a major role in this world. Your soul shines like a golden star and particularly when you look at Sam, who, obviously, is your pride and joy, and the only reason I allowed him to see me as well.”

 

Dean was pretty sure his face was bright red by now. It was the weirdest, but also the most meaningful compliment anyone had ever given to him, and he felt utterly embarrassed, but also oddly touched. He didn't dare look at either of them.

 

“O-oh. Well. Hm. Okay.”

 

Alright, time to change the conversation. And if they wanted to keep talking, first things first.

 

“Say, Cas, what about putting on some clothes when you're in human form?”

 

Castiel blinked at the strange nickname that had totally slipped out of Dean's mouth without asking his opinion about it first, and looked down at himself.

 

“Oh. My apologises.”

 

In the blink of an eye, Castiel was dressed. And not in any random outfit, but in a full suit with a beige trench coat.

 

“...You look like a taxe accountant.”

 

Castiel crossed his arms over his chest and Dean noticed that the ears and wings (and probably the tails too, even if he couldn't tell), were gone. Before he could make a snappy answer at Dean's comment, Dean opened his mouth again.

 

“Hey! What happened to the rest of you?”

 

“I assume you mean my ears, wings and tails. Those are the most direct manifestations of my true form, along with my claws and fangs, and the first to appear when I lose control. I figured it would make it easier for you to undersant if I kept them for our introduction.”

 

Dean nodded, because, yeah, that made sense. If he hadn't realized that there was cat ears on top of the gorgeous guy straddling him, who knew what Dean would have done to him? His face grew a little hot thinking about it. Sam had been right there, too. What if Dean had still believed it was a dream and had started touching him or something? Fuck. He swallowed.

 

“Say, Cas...”

 

Dean and Castiel both blinked at Sam who had aparently adopted the nickname without a second thought.

 

“How come you're not Japanese?”

 

Castiel sighed at that and came back to Dean's futon, sitting beside him and totally invading his personal space.

 

“Very few nekomata actually are, in appearance. Once we reach puberty, we choose a human appearance that we will keep our entire lives. More often than not, we pick the one of the human that summoned us into this world. Mine was James Novak. But sacred forests are rare, and nowadays, many of us live in Japan.”

 

“So you're American? You speak american.”

 

Castiel turned his head to look at Dean this time, a little too closely. Dean's eyes involuntarily glanced down at Castiel's beautiful lips as he answered.

 

“I speak every language, Dean.”

 

“You do? Wow. Now that's fucking handy. Right, Sam?”

 

Sam nodded.

 

“Dean is lazy when it comes to learning other languages, and I always have to take care of the negocations myself.”

 

“English, man. Universal language. Everyone speak it now. Why the hell should I bother?”

 

“You have a point, Dean. But that makes you one of these pompous, ignorant tourist that people don't want to deal with as they make no effort on another's country. Beside, language is not merely a mean of communication, it also reflects a culture in many aspects.”

 

Sam snickered and looked smug while Dean sulked, properly chastied by a freaking cat.

 

“Whatever. I'm too tired for philosophical debates anyway. Some leech apparently sucked my soul, and now I need sleep. Wake me up when it's dinner time.”

 

That said, Dean promptly rolled on his side, away from them. Castiel tilted his head to the side and looked at Sam for answers, but Sam merely rolled his eyes and shook his head, making a vague gesture encouraging Castiel to ignore Dean. Castiel smiled, nodded, and turned around. He laid down on his side behind Dean, higher than him so that he could throw a leg around Dean's torso and curled around his head, until his forehead was pressed to Dean's upside down.

 

“...Cas... What the hell are you doing?”

 

“Well, you're taking a nap, so I'm joining you?”

 

“Dude, no.”

 

Dean sat up, disantangling himself from Cas and glaring down at him, face hot.

 

“I can tolerate you taking a nap with me when you're in your cat form because, yeah, sure, cat. But certainly not as a something 6 feet dude.”

 

Castiel blinked and narrowed his eyes, not bothering to move from his position.

 

“Dean. Don't be ridiculous. Those two shapes are merrely the mirror of the same person. It shouldn't matter.”

 

“I. Don't. Care. Cat form or no deal.”

 

Cas sighed heavily.

 

“Fine.”

 

With final glare, he pooffed back into his cat form, raising and sitting on his ass with both tails flicking, his glare steady. Dean smiled.

 

“See? Much better.”

 

Cas rolled his eyes as Dean resumed his previous position. Then he padded in front of Dean, this time, and curled against his chest. He was obviously annoyed, but the moment Dean's hand sneaked under a wing to burry long fingers in his thick fur, he started purring. Dean grinned but didn't dare do anything more. Cas might be a cat right now, but he was still very much a dude and Dean didn't do randomly petting dudes, especially not in front of Sam.

 

**

 

Dean woke up feeling warm and comfy and he blinked his eyes open only to see the large, soft body of the overly grown furry cat. He glanced over his shoulder only to see Sam drop bento boxes on the table and smile at him. Since Cas was still asleep, Dean jerked his head in his direction, becoming Sam closer.

 

After a moment of hesitation, Sam appraoched, loking at Dean in confusion. Dean grinned, wide, and gently covered Cas' paw with his hand. Dean had by no mean small hands, but compared to Cas' paws they seemed ridiculously fragile. Not that Cas' paws looked particularly threatening being all fluffy-furry as they were...

 

“Look at these paws!”

 

Dean didn't look up at Sam and reached for Cas' ear with his other hand, toying with the long strand on top of it and chuckling as it flicked. Then he traced his finger down Cas' short nose before playing with the long whiskers, making them twitch.

 

He stopped when he heard Sam snort and snapped his head up to look at him, seeing his gigantic brother shake his head. He frowned and rose, thumb absentmindedly rubbing Cas' paw.

 

“...What?”

 

Sam grinned and waved his hand in Cas' direction.

 

“Nothing. You're just... You barely knew him for a few hours and you're already totally enamored with him.”

 

Dean's face flushed and he glared at Sam, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“...Shut up. He's cute, okay?”

 

“Thank you Dean. Though I think it's the first time I've been called as such.”

 

Dean's eyes widen in mortification as he slowly turned is head only to see Cas, once again naked, looking up at him from his still curled position beside him. Yeah, he might have ignored the little detail that Cas was partly human. Conveniently. And he also might have hoped that Cas wouldn't hear him when asleep.

 

...Alternatively, he was just an idiot.

 

Not looking at either of them, he stood up and stretched. He still felt a bit groggy, but much more refreshed than earlier, which meant Cas hadn't lied. And now he was fucking starving. He eyed the food on the table and stepped closer, eyeing inside the bentos. At first he frowned finding only sushi and maki, but then he found the one containing the yakitori and he grinned. Meat was good.

 

He sat down at the table, not caring if the others joined him or not, and opened all the boxes in front of him. Sam and a now fully dressed Cas joined him. Well, Sam sat in front of him and Cas made a point to drap himself over his back, arms around his neck. Dean froze.

 

“...Dude.”

 

“Yes, Dean?”

 

Dean sighed and looked at Sam, who was not looking at them but his shoulders were shaking as he grabbed some sushi for himself. Dean took one of Cas arm in his and pried it from his shoulder so that he culd turn around and look at him straight in the eyes. Cas sat back on his haunches, head tilted to the side in confusion.

 

“Listen, buddy, I know you're a cat-”

 

“Actually,-”

 

Dean raised a hand with a sharp glare to prevent Cas from interrupting him.

 

“As I was saying, I know you're a cat, but you can't go and just invade my personal space like that when you're in human form.”

 

Cas' eyes narrowed and he leant forward, staring straight into Dean's eyes and forcing him to lean back a little.

 

“You are very confusing, Dean. You have no problem touching me when I'm in my cat form, but it bothers you when I'm human, even though we are more similar when I am human.”

 

“It's... Difficult to explain. But yeah, that's the deal.”

 

Cas huffed and looked to the side, clearly annoyed. Then suddenly he was looking at Dean again with slanted eyes framed by a furry face and pointy ears. He crept closer, daring Dean to object now, and prompty plopped himself right on his lap. Somwhow, despite his size, he managed to fit all of his limbs on top of Dean and tucked his head against Dean's belly, over his crotch.

 

Dean opened his mouth a few times to say something, but gave up and wriggled his way around without dislodging Cas, whose tails twitched at the movement. Once facing Sam again, he sent him a sharp glare, seeing him trying to contain his laugher behind a hand slapped over his mouth.

 

“One word Sammy. One, and you're gonna wake up bald.”

 

Sam grinned and mimicked locking his mouth and throwing the key over his shoulder. Dean nodded, and they started eating.

 

**

 

After dinner, Dean busied himself with gathering their stuff so they could leave while Sam informed their commanditor of the impossibility to achieve their case. Dean listened as he gave vague excuses, not going into too deep details as to why she shouldn't expect to have a nekomata any time soon. He could clearly hear her scream and insult Sam and winced as he took in Sam's pained expression, holding the phone away from his ear.

 

Meanwhile, Cas had left to take care of some quick business before he could leave with them. He didn't seem that bothered with the fact that he would have to leave his life behind and accompagny them in their hunts. Honestly speaking, it seemed more like he was completely happy to have found a new master in Dean. Which Dean still couldn't wrap his mind around.

 

Seriously, he would have never expected to ever have a shapeshifting pet, sorry, _familiar_. One that was a walking wet dream at that. Well, when he wasn't all fur and whiskers, because Dean was not _that_ twisted, thank you very much.

 

After hanging up with the angry lady, Sam left to pay for their stay while Dean sat there, waiting for Cas. Sam came back first, talking on the phone again. Dean looked at him with an eyebrow raised. It was only once Cas showed up again, shifting in human form halfway through the door and plopping himself almost directly on Dean's lap, that Sam ended up the call.

 

“Alright guys. We've got a case.”

 

Dean shifted away from Cas as discreetly as possible, but was rewarded with a narrowed stare and a flick of tails for his effort.

 

“Alright. Where?”

 

Sam grinned.

 

“Australia.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still working on the scenario, even if I have about all the cases ideas. I'd like to know what you think, and see if it's worth continuing. Hope you enjoy it so far!
> 
> Oh and I apologize for any mistake. English is not my first language and I don't have a beta! Any criticism is welcome and I will take into consideration what you have to say.
> 
> If anyone is interested to see what Cas looks like, he's got the face, ears, fur and almost the size of a lynx: http://d24w6bsrhbeh9d.cloudfront.net/photo/aKzKBDW_700b.jpg , and the color and tail (except two of them) of a black panther: https://naturalunseenhazards.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/black_panther_wallpaper.jpg


End file.
